SPSS Inc. Appoints Deans Hill Systems Limited Exclusive allCLEAR Distributor; Agreement Enables SPSS To Tighten Focus On Its Fast-Growing Analytical Solutions Business.

Business Editors, High-Tech Writers

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 22, 2000

To better concentrate its efforts on providing analytical solutions for the customer relationship management (CRM) and related business intelligence (BI) markets, SPSS Inc. (Nasdaq: SPSS) granted exclusive distribution rights of its allCLEAR product line to Deans Hill Systems Limited (DHS). The companies completed the transaction on Sept. 30, 2000.

Under the agreement, DHS has exclusive distribution rights for allCLEAR worldwide, including rights to the brand and trademark, with an option to purchase the intellectual property. The company has also taken over development and technical support for the product line. DHS has hired development staff from SPSS to ensure continuity in product strategy and development.

"Our focus is on delivering analytical solutions that enable organizations to develop more profitable customer relationships," said Jack Noonan, SPSS president and CEO. "We continue to see strong revenue growth in this area. Through the nine months of 2000, our analytical solutions revenue was nearly double compared to the same period for 1999. This agreement with DHS is another step toward tightening our focus on analytical solutions and continuing our success in this fast-growing market.

"allCLEAR enables users to visualize processes quickly and identify areas for improvement more effectively, saving organizations both time and money," Noonan continued. "Yet it has now become peripheral to our current corporate strategy. We are delighted that DHS will take over the product line, for they are a leader in the quality management systems market, and allCLEAR is a perfect fit in their family of products. In addition, as a long-time SPSS partner, DHS already has both application and product expertise around allCLEAR. As a result, we have every confidence that they will take good care of our former employees and customers."

"Deans Hill Systems has been in the quality and process analysis business for 10 years," said Bill Best, joint-CEO Deans Hill Systems. "We think that allCLEAR is a terrific addition to our product line and will be an integral part of our strategy going forward."

Noonan later stated, "This agreement is part of an ongoing trend at SPSS to concentrate on analytical solutions. We have ceased the development, marketing and sales of nearly a dozen minor products over the last year, and redirected these efforts toward the part of our business with the most potential."

"allCLEAR generated about $2.2 million in revenues to SPSS during the last 12 months of the period that ended on Sept. 30, 2000," said Edward Hamburg, SPSS executive vice president and CFO. "While the agreement with DHS will reduce our revenues in the near-term, we do not expect it to have an effect on earnings in the upcoming quarter or in fiscal year 2001."

About SPSS Inc.

SPSS Inc. enables organizations to develop more profitable customer relationships by providing analytical solutions that discover what customers want and predict what they will do. The company delivers analytical solutions at the intersection of customer relationship management and business intelligence. SPSS analytical solutions integrate and analyze market, customer and operational data in key vertical markets worldwide including: telecommunications, health care, banking, finance, insurance, manufacturing, retail, consumer packaged goods, market research and the public sector.

Headquartered in Chicago, SPSS has more than 40 offices, over 900 employees and 1999 revenues of $142 million. The company also has won the following awards: No. 77 on Forbes 2000 list of the "200 best small companies" and as the 22nd most profitable company on the Nasdaq exchange by Equities magazine; 1999 World Class Solution award in business intelligence and named "best decision support system for business intelligence" in the 1999 RealWare award competition; No. 14 in DM Review's 1999 Data Warehouse Top 100; placed No. 16 on the 2000 Soft-letter 100, a ranking of the top 100 personal computer software companies in the United States; and No. 115 in the 2000 Software 500, a ranking of the world's largest software vendors by Software Magazine; listed on Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers for 2000. For more information, visit www.spss.com.

About Deans Hill Systems Limited

Deans Hill Systems Ltd. (DHS) and its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, Proquis Inc., provide companies with a software solution to improve processes, quality and overall business management. They have primarily served those wishing to meet international quality standards like ISO9000/QS9000, however they have been gaining recognition in the business community for assisting companies improve management information. They have offices in Chicago, Boston and the UK as well as distributors around the world.

SPSS information is available on the World Wide Web through the SPSS Press Center at: http://www.spss.com/press